“Come here, Little One.”
Zara wraps her hands around his neck as he brings her to his body and walks toward the chorus of the beach sounds. Passing through a wide opening, he sits in a large chair, doing nothing more than holding her close as she cries.
Soothed by the harmony of the water meeting the beach and returning into itself, Zara nuzzles into Garrett’s chest. The material of his shirt feels different than it did on the beach, softer and tighter to his body. Garrett shifts slightly and Zara pulls away to detach from him.
“Stay put, Zara.” That is enough for her. She returns to resting her head on his chest and closes her eyes.
He shifts again, and lifts something up. She hears clinking in a glass and she senses him taking a large sip before returning the glass to its original resting place. Zara opens her eyes to find Garrett bringing a water bottle to her lips.
“Take a drink, Zara. You have been asleep for hours and need to hydrate.” There is no question in Garrett’s tone that it is time to take a drink. His voice is quiet and even, but his message is loud and clear.
“Thank you…” Zara takes the bottle and lifts away from his chest to drink. Garrett keeps his arms securely around her, suggesting he has no plans for Zara to sit anywhere else.
The water is cool and refreshing, and Zara quenches her thirst, drinking the full bottle. This morning’s coffee is the last thing Zara drank. Garrett takes it from Zara’s hands before she could stretch to place it on the small table next to his glass.
With his hands free, Garrett pulls Zara back to his chest. Without thought or hesitation, Zara returns to her place in his arms. His hand begins to slide up and down her back and Zara sighs, her body relaxing further into his.
“Zara, I would very much like to discuss what upset you this morning.”
Zara tenses against Garrett’s chest. “I am sorry.”
“I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to feel every emotion that you have at the time each one occurs. It’s my wish that you discuss them with me. Does that make sense?”
“Yes,” she replies in a voice so soft it wouldn’t have been heard by a person sitting in the next chair.
“May I sit in the other chair?” Zara asks without looking into Garrett’s face.
His hand freezes in the middle of Zara’s back then he releases his hold. She feels him looking at her as she places her bare feet on the floor, regretting the loss of the warmth of his body.
Zara tucks her feet underneath her as she sits in the chair next to Garrett. She looks out into the darkness toward the sound of the water and closing her eyes, hears Garrett pick up his glass.
Zara opens her eyes and looks at Garrett. Solemnly she begins, “I looked at my mother before I left the circle. We made eye contact and I saw something in her eyes before she presented herself. I don’t know what she was trying to communicate.”
Tears track down her cheeks as she continues, “I didn’t look for Fredrik. I walked out of the circle without being collared and I have not thought of him. I did not say goodbye to my brother.”
Zara stares out at the dark water, her tears continuing to fall.
“Why am I here?” She blurts. Zara tenses, moving to the edge of the chair and placing both of her feet on the floor, arms crossed behind her back. Her eyes focus down as she waits for the reprimand warranted for her slip.
“Zara Faith.” Garrett sets the glass on the table and kneels in front of Zara without touching her. He begins to speak in a comforting, yet firm tone.
“While in my presence, you may ask any question freely without fear of reprimand. Am I clear?”
Zara gives the slightest nod.
Returning to his chair, Garrett picks up his drink and proceeds to answer Zara’s question as if no interruption had taken place.
“Little One, you fell asleep before we could talk last night. You are here with me because your dorm room won’t be ready for move-in until Thursday. Since I wasn’t certain if you would choose to accept my offer or wish to continue with the collaring ceremony…”
Garrett pauses as Zara’s right hand flies to her neck upon hearing the word collaring. Taking a moment, looking out into the darkness before he continues, “I didn’t want to move ahead with the preparations until a decision was made.”
“I will be living in a dorm? Do you live in the dorm as well?”
“No, Zara. You will live in the dorm room alone. The dorm is called Yakeley Hall and it’s the oldest all-girl’s dorm on campus.”
Zara looks at Garrett. “All-girls dorm.”
“Yes, Little One, an all-girls dorm. We may not be a collared couple but I don’t wish for you to spend your evenings in a building filled with eager college guys. I was an eager college guy and that is not an option for you.”
Garrett drinks the last of his beverage and stands extending his hand to Zara. “Shall we continue this in the kitchen and get some food?”
Zara takes his hand and stands.
He releases her hand when she gets to her feet and walks away two steps and turns on soft floor lights. He motions Zara to move past him into his bedroom.
Garrett waits patiently while Zara takes in her surroundings. She can feel him observing her and is careful to set her expression as she surveys his private space. Zara takes her time looking at his room, attempting to remember as many details as possible.
The space is double the size of the room she woke up in this morning, with a wall facing the water set in glass. Double doors lead to a balcony overlooking the beach.
The furniture in the room is modern, dwarfed by a platform bed facing the water. The bed is neatly made with the exception of the space Zara had slept in earlier.
On either side of the bed are platforms that have matching reading lamps. The side that is still tucked in with military precision has a couple of books stacked on the platform. Across from the foot of the bed and against the glass wall is a sitting bench. On the floor by the bench, sits a basket of wood and shells. The basket is all that could be considered clutter in the room. A closer look at the basket shows the items arranged in a particular order. There is zero clutter in Garrett’s room.
Zara steps aside to let Garrett lead the way. The walls of the hallway are covered with frames in an organized manner, all matching and grouped in small clusters. It is not light enough to see the pictures, so Zara hurries ahead to catch up to Garrett who is already halfway down the first staircase.
“This is my parents’ floor,” he points down a hallway similar to the one above. There are more clusters of frames, this time in various shapes and sizes and a runner down the hallway accentuating its length.
Garrett continues to the ground floor and waits for Zara to join him. He waits in an identical hallway, but instead of one door, like the floors above, there are several. There are no frames on the wall in this hall.
Garrett opens the first door and Zara recognizes this is the doorway Trudy had slipped through after turning on the music. Reoriented, Zara knows the kitchen is all the way on the other end of the house and the room where Zara slept is down the hall on the other side of the sunken living room.
Walking toward the kitchen, Garrett pauses at the same control panel that Trudy had used to start the music. The entire floor glows as soft floor lighting fills the living room.
“Go change and I will get us something to eat.” The schooled expression on Zara’s face slips.
“Yes, Little One, I am going to prepare a meal. Go… I am hungry and I am guessing you are as well.”
As Zara makes her way down the hall, another soft piano concerto fills the air. Pausing to enjoy it, a clank of pans from the kitchen sends her moving to do what Garrett instructed.
Opening the door to the room, Zara knew that someone had been in and straightened up the space. The bed that she had made before going to find the coffee now had the same military corners as Garrett’s bed.
Taking off the hair tie as she walked into the bathroom, Zara notice
d the towel she had used after her shower was no longer hanging on the towel bar. A replacement towel makes the stack exactly the same as this morning.
Turning on the shower, Zara quickly removes her clothes and steps under the warm spray, enjoying the water against her skin. There was something special about this rain stream spigot.
Washed, dried and in a tee shirt and yoga pants in record time, Zara makes her way back to the kitchen where three things catch her attention. First, Garrett has changed. He is now in a MSU tee shirt, sleep pants and is barefoot. Second, a wrapped present sits on the counter next to the coffee machine, and third, a black box in the center of the table. Of the three, Garrett in comfy clothes and bare feet top the list.
“May I help with the cooking?”
“No… no… no. Just talk to me and keep me company. It is almost ready.” Garrett points to the table and returns to chopping vegetables.
“May I get a beverage?” Zara whispers.
Garrett pauses. Zara tenses and quickly sits in the chair closest to where she had been standing. Putting down the knife and cucumber, Garrett rinses his hands and picks up a towel.
Without a word, he dries his hands and tosses the towel on the counter next to the cutting board. He steps to the table to stand directly in front of Zara. Garrett looks deeply into her eyes, almost as if he is reading her thoughts. Without touching her, he kneels in front of her never taking his eyes from hers.
“Breathe, Zara.” He waits for her to exhale and once satisfied begins to speak, never breaking eye contact.
“Zara, while you are in this house or any house that I sleep in, it is your home. Let me say that differently. You are free to do whatever you would do if you were in your own home.
“First, I am not your Dom. You are not required to ask me for permission to get a beverage or anything else. If you are hungry, eat. If you’re tired, go to your room and rest. If you’re bored with the conversation, change it.
“Second, if or when we do finish the Circle Ceremony, you will continue to have these same freedoms. I have never wanted a slave as a mate. I am a Dom and the Master/slave dynamic does not appeal to who I am.”
Garrett continues to stare into Zara’s eyes, as the tears begin to pool. She fights to keep them at bay but once the first tear escapes, several more follow. He reaches to wipe the tears off her cheeks but pauses just shy of making contact.
Standing, Garrett walks quickly to the pantry and pulls out a box of tissues. Returning to the table, he hands Zara the box and sits in the chair next to her. He waits. She rips open the cardboard and takes out a couple of tissues.
“Are you disappointed that I don’t want a slave?”
“NO!” Zara answers firmly, but the lack of confidence in Garrett’s voice when he asks the question throws Zara off balance. She hopes he didn’t need her to give more of an answer.
Garrett reaches for the black box that had been sitting on the table. He doesn’t say anything for a moment. Placing the box in front of Zara, he stands and returns to the knife and cutting board.
“It’s important to me that you consider this your home and that you move around freely and without concern. I would like that very much.” When he finishes speaking, he resumes his chopping.
Zara looks at the picture on the top of the box. It’s an iPhone. She’s never had one but smiles to herself. She picks up the box and opens it.
Zara looks up at Garrett and smiles when her eyes meet his staring back at her, “Thank you.”
Placing the phone back into the box and setting it on the table, Zara rises from her seat and silently walks to the refrigerator. Opening one of the doors, she is happy to find several cans of her favorite Arnold Palmer with pink lemonade.
Looking around the refrigerator door, Zara finds Garrett pulling something out of the oven.
“Would you like something to drink?” she asks shyly.
“Yes, please. I’ll try one of those Arnolds of yours.” Pausing to look at her, Garrett smiles.
“Your house… Little One. And there are frosted mugs in the freezer,” he states matter-of-factly, returning to his task at hand.
With a bit of hesitation, Zara gathers two cans and two mugs. Returning to her seat, she fills the mugs. Setting the cans aside, she takes a big drink of her favorite beverage.
“Mmmmmm,” Zara enjoys the drink. When she looks up, Garrett is watching her again with the same look he had last night when she came out of the bathroom in her own clothes. A blush suffuses her face. There is no missing the soft chuckle from Garrett.
Zara unwraps the utensils in a cloth napkin and places the napkin in her lap waiting. Garrett has prepared homemade pizza that looks as good as it smells.
Garrett picks up the frosted mug and takes a small sip of the iced drink. Taking a longer drink, Zara watches him enjoy one of her favorite beverages.
“It is delicious. I wasn’t impressed with the idea of mixing iced tea and pink lemonade, but it’s good.”
Smiling, Zara looks down at her plate. Her mouth waters in anticipation of the first bite.
Garrett looks over at her, puzzled, “I thought you loved pizza.”
“I do love pizza. I am waiting for you to start.”
“Why?”
“It is what is right. That is how it is supposed to be.”
“Zara, please take a bite of pizza.”
Slowly, Zara reaches for her fork. Looking up at Garrett, she searches for confirmation of his intent. She had been trained to never eat her food first. Her entire life, her mother demanded that she wait for both her father and her brother to begin eating. It feels wrong to take a bite before the man at the table.
“Little One, we are not bound together. You aren’t my sub. I want you to feel comfortable. Please try the pizza. Trudy worked really hard to make your favorite and I reheated it to perfection.”
Zara cuts the pizza into small bites, her eyes filling with tears as she puts the pizza in her mouth. Setting the fork on her plate while she chews, the tears begin to run down her face.
“Zara, I am not sure how you were raised or what your expectations are as a sub, but we need to address this immediately. I do not want, nor have I ever wanted, a slave. Are you a slave in nature?”
Zara looks him in the eyes and begins to cry harder. “I don’t know what I am. I don’t know if I am a sub or a slave or even if I want to be in this type of relationship. I was born with my life predetermined. In one second, everything that I have known to be true changed.
“When I was little I wanted to go to college. Something I never in a million years thought I would have the opportunity to do. I don’t know if I can do it. Everything that I was raised to be… I no longer am.
“I did not get collared as I was supposed to. Do you not see? I have failed at the one thing I was meant to achieve. I do not know how to behave in any situation because every situation was supposed to be different.”
“Little One, you have been keeping this all inside. I didn’t stop the Ceremony because I didn’t want you. In fact, I want you so much that I am giving you the freedom to decide if you want me.
“I’m scared too. I’m worried that you are going to go on campus, have the time of your life and meet another man who suits you better. I’m afraid you will turn your back on the Community and on me, that I will lose you before I even had a chance to have you.”
They sit together in silence thinking about what the other has said. Garrett speaks first. He stands up and grabs the present that caught Zara’s attention when she came into the kitchen.
He holds it for a moment and returns to his seat. Silently, he sets it down in front of Zara.
“I bought this for you in the event that you decided to take this adventure and go to MSU. I attended Michigan State and had one of the best times in my life. I want that for you. If you meet someone or decide that the Community is not for you, I will respect that and I will help you in every way that I am able.
“Please open it. For me
.”
Her hand shakes as she picks up the perfectly wrapped present. Zara begins to unwrap the sides of the package, working slowly not to rip the paper. She uses the time to process what Garrett has just revealed.
He wants me.
That sends shivers all through her body.
Focusing on the job of opening her gift, Zara could feel Garrett’s eyes on her as she works. She opens the box to find a silver necklace lying on a baby blue pillow of silk. Also in the box are two small pouches. Garrett takes the box out of Zara’s hand and places it on the table next to the pizza.
Lifting the chain, he states, “This chain represents your journey of exploration. I ask that you wear it always. Please do not mistake it for my collar because that is not the intent.”
Opening the blue pouch, a shiny pendant falls into his hand. Lifting Zara’s right hand and turning it palm up, Garrett places a sparkly letter Z in the center. He opens the purple pouch and pours the contents into Zara’s hand. A small silver circle shows a lower case ‘g’ engraved on its surface.
“The Z is for Zara. You are always to remember that this is your life to live and that you should make your own choices as you go. The G represents me. You can see the G is smaller, but still present. Little One, I will always be here for you. School may be overwhelming but I am going to be there every step of the way.”
He takes the chain and threads the pendants. Garrett steps behind Zara and lowers the chain in front of her, closing the clasp in the back. He carefully lifts her hair out from the chain.
Returning to his seat, he takes her hand in his. “I want you to find the answers to all the questions that roll around in your head when you get that far off look in your eyes. If and when you want to explore a relationship with me, we will do it privately and not before the entire Council.
Before Him Comes Me Page 5
